Dance, fitness classes offer creative fun

With multiple venues to show off some fancy footwork in Las Cruces, summer is the time to hone your dance moves with the help of a variety of classes offered at Las Cruces Fitness and Dance.

"What we want to do is explore different styles of dance, giving kids and adults an opportunity to try different things," said co-owner and dance instructor Kristie Garcia, who has been teaching fitness and dance classes in Las Cruces and Mesilla since 2003, and has been a personal trainer for three years.

Dance classes kicked off in early June and will run through the end of August in four- to six-class workshops to allow participants a taste of different dance flavors.

Niki Rhynes/For the Sun-News
Rosina Medina and her two-and-a-half year old grandson Tristan Medina dance along and practice movement with instructor Kristie Garcia as she teaches a Big Dancer/Little Dancer dance class on a Saturday at Las Cruces Fitness and Dance. (null)

"With each session only being four to six classes in length, we hope to accommodate people who may be traveling this summer or who wish to learn more than one type of dance style," Garcia said.

Classes being offered are hip-hop, focusing on attitude and personality through west coast style; creative movement, strengthening motion and balance; modern dance, offering a wide range of movement, basic techniques and footwork; and high-energy jazz, using Broadway and street dance combinations.

The classes cater to everyone from first timers to old pros -- and a combination of the two in the Big Dancer/Little Dancer class for parents and their toddlers on Saturday mornings -- offering a new experience or lesson to each participant.

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"We partner with New Mexico State University a lot. The dance students with NMSU earning their degree in dance take classes here and learn how to teach dance. They teach at our studio to gain experience," said Garcia.

Garcia also studied dance at NMSU, receiving a degree and taking her love of teaching to the studio and back to the university, where she teaches beginning level modern dance and dance appreciation.

Niki Rhynes/For the Sun-News
Two-year-old Adriel Bernal practices movement around a ring with ribbons while attending a Big Dancer/Little Dancer class with his father Homer at Las Cruces Fitness and Dance.Ê (null)

"I'm focused more on teaching. I love teaching," she said.

Group modern dance classes begin July 22, and for those who are more into social dancing, partner classes in Argentine tango begin Aug. 8.

There is more than just dance to Las Cruces Fitness and Dance, and, as half of the name denotes, fitness opportunities that include pilates mat classes, yoga, total body conditioning, personal training and, most recently, sport-specific agility training are also features of the studio, located at 650 Montana Ave., Suite H in the Montana Plaza.

Studio co-owner and Kristie Garcia's husband, Joe Garcia -- a high school soccer coach with more than 19 years of coaching experience -- uses the agility program to improve skills specific to an athlete's sport and enhance their participation.

"He's certified in speed agility and quickness," Kristie Garcia said. "He works with athletes who are looking to do more than work out, to be faster and more agile. He works on an individual basis with athletes during indoor and outdoor sessions. They get the one-on-one attention they might not get at practice."